John Cartwright has issued a firm warning to his Hull FC side, insisting that the Black and Whites aren’t a team that can ‘play badly and win.’
Hosting Castleford Tigers this Friday night, the Black and Whites are looking to keep up the same disciplined performances that earned them back-to-back wins on the road, with two scalps over Leigh and Catalans to their name. And Cartwright knows that it’s that discipline focus that is crucial, with his side’s attitude and application crucial to getting what would be another big win in the context of their season.
Looking to get some consistency, a win would ensure Hull remain in the top six positions and potentially, pending the results elsewhere over the round, put them in a more comfortable position. Not that that will deviate focus from Cartwright, who is very much on the here and now and has issued the same demands from his players.
Speaking to Hull Live before the clash, Hull’s first home in nearly 50 days, the head coach said: “It’s just important each week that we play well. We’re not a team that can play badly and win. We can’t not play consistent football and win. We need to perform, and if we don’t, like every other side, we’re going to get beaten.
“I hate losing; the players hate losing—so whether it’s home or away, a lot of work goes into every game, so when we run out of the sheds and out onto the field, the expectation is that we play well and that gets us a result.”
Opening up on where the game will be won and lost, Cartwright continued: “It’s all on our ball control—where we give them the ball. That’s critical, and that never changes, no matter who you are playing.
“For us, it’s about getting better at that and sticking to it for longer. That’s another chance for us to prove that theory right. We need to make sure we play our game and put the ball where we want to put the ball and continuously do it for 80 minutes.”
That discipline starts with Hull’s attack but then filters into their defence. It’s a process – at least on the latter account – they got right at Catalans, with the same methods instructed and improvement always the goal as the side looks to build both their standing and their confidence.
“I think our attack is based on our defence,” Cartwright said. “We didn’t score many pretty tries at Catalans—it was a bit of brilliance from Will (Pryce) before and after half-time. There were some well-structured tries against Leigh, but last time, when you really look at it, it was based on our defence.
“It’s a funny one, but if you keep your try line from being crossed, you feel better, you feel good, you feel big, and you feel strong, and then you seem to score tries on the back of it. They are not always well-structured; sometimes there’s a bit of luck involved, but everything you do attacking-wise comes off a strong defence.
“You can take a lot of confidence from that—you can talk about it, but until you actually do it, you don’t get confidence out of it. It was stinking hot conditions, and if we were looking for an excuse, you would have found one.
“We were 30-odd points in front with not long to go; we were never going to lose the game, but I loved the way they just kept fighting for each other to the last minute. Harvey (Barron), he could have given up the chase, but he got to the winger and pushed him out in the corner. Those little things are really important—if you pride yourself on your defence, that’s what you want to see.”
Hull go into the clash without Pryce, not to mention the likes of John Asiata, but for Cartwright, who will welcome back Cade Cust, it’s the next man mentality that counts.
“Inwardly, I think that says a lot about us,” he added. “When an opportunity arises for someone, they’re prepared well, and their teammates accept them, and they’re genuinely happy.
“No one wants to see anyone out injured, but when someone gets an opportunity, the squad is genuinely happy to see them take it and do a job. We’re in a good place.”